Beginning with this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, each FedExCup tournament will provide a special bib for the FedExCup points leader’s caddie to wear during competition rounds. This bib will be used only if the leader of the current FedExCup standings is in the field.

The bib will have orange accents on the shoulders and pocket.

After winning the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Dustin Johnson came to Waialae as the FedExCup points leader. That meant his caddie, Bobby Brown, became the first caddie to win the special orange bib this year in Thursday's opening round of the Sony Open (photo below by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR).

 

Franklin/Getty Images

2013 PGA TOUR preview: Who will secure their first win in 2013? | Who will bounce back? | Top rookie?

Of the five players at the top of the 2012 FedExCup standings (Brandt Snedeker, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson), who will have the most productive season in 2013?

I'll take a little different path and look at Watney. In 2011 he finished in the top 10 in nearly half his starts, with two wins. Last year wasn't quite as fruitful but his game appeared recharged at the end with his FedExCup Playoffs run and win at The Barclays, putting himself in position for another year where he's around the top nearly every week. -- John Schwarb, Site Producer

The easy way out would be to pick McIlroy or Woods like most of my colleagues, and I certainly wouldn't bet against either. But for argument's sake, let's make a case for Snedeker, who closed the season with three top-10s in the FedExCup Playoffs, including a win at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Confidence, as well as that silky smooth putting stroke, will go a long way for Sneds. -- Helen Ross, Chief of Correspondents

Woods. He showed major improvements last year with his three TOUR wins, but you know he still has major wins on his mind. I wouldn't be surprised to see him on top of the standings again, and this time winning the FedExCup trophy. -- Anne Szeker, Site Producer

McIlroy. He’s the best player in the game and capable of even more. Think about it: Despite winning 2012 PGA TOUR Player of the Year, McIlroy ranked 156th in driving accuracy, 60th in greens in regulation and 82nd in strokes gained-putting. He can certainly improve. Now that’s a scary thought.
-- Bill Cooney, Site Producer

Tiger. He'll be more productive on the weekend in majors this year. -- Mike McAllister, Managing Editor

Production can be defined in different ways, but McIlroy led PGA TOUR members in both average earnings per event and percentage of available purse won. As he continues to fire on all cylinders, only an injury would seem to prevent a repeat performance even in relatively limited action.
-- Rob Bolton, Fantasy Columnist

If productive means best then it will be McIlroy. He's the best player in the game right now and is starting to create some separation from everyone else. I think Tiger plays well, just not as well as McIlroy.
-- Brian Wacker, Site Producer

I am worried McIlroy's equipment change will take time, and I am not giving up on Woods returning to five-win form. -- Ryan Smithson, Site Producer

Productive is a subjective term but with the five players listed, productive can only be defined in major championships. This group of five doesn't care about scoring average or cuts made or the money list. Productive, for them,  means a major and Woods will win a major championship this year.
-- Fred Albers, PGA TOUR Radio

Coming Friday: What player will be the biggest surprise in 2013?

FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS: Best rounds, best moments from the four-tournament stretch

Brandt Snedeker is your 2012 FedExCup Champion! Snedeker held on for a victory at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola -- his second win of the season -- and, by virtue of his top-5 position entering the week, also secured the FedExCup. Want to congratulate Snedeker on his accomplishments? Leave a message in our comments section below and we'll get it to him.

ATLANTA — Saturday’s first round of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the final event in the FedExCup Playoffs that will determine this year’s FedExCup champion, is in the books. Here’s a look at the key developments and notes concerning the FedExCup:

KEY LINKS: Latest points projections | Shots back | Official standings | Scenarios to win FedExCup

NO. 1 PROJECTION:  Brandt Snedeker, who owns a share of the lead with Justin Rose at 8 under, is currently projected to win the FedExCup. That’s because he came to East Lake ranked fifth in the standings and is guaranteed the $10 million bonus with a TOUR Championship victory.

Rory McIlroy, who started the week ranked first, is now projected No. 2 while Rose, who came in 24th, is third and Tiger Woods is fourth.

HOW TOP FIVE FARED: Any of the top five players in points after the reset can win the FedExCup by winning the TOUR Championship. Here’s a look at their third rounds.

Player	Score	Thru 54	Pos	Quick review
Rory McIlroy	68	5 under	T4	McIlroy has steadily improved in hitting fairways each day, with 8 on Saturday, and he found 12 greens, as well. But he needs some putts to fall – McIlroy ranks 11th in strokes-gained putting. Strokes back:  He needs to make up four strokes to win the Cup.
Tiger Woods	67	4 under	T7	Saturday was bounce-back day for Woods. Interestingly, though, his fairways hit declined for the second straight day, but 13 greens in regulation tied for his best of the week. Strokes back: He needs to make up five shots to win the Cup.
Nick Watney	70	9 over	29th	Watney birdied his first hole but made three straight bogeys starting at the third. Birdies at Nos. 7 and 18, though, gave Watney his best score of a difficult week. Strokes back: He needs to make up 18 shots to win the Cup.
Phil Mickelson	72	2 over	T20	Mickelson is tied for 29th in fairways hit and 16th in greens in regulation. Saturday’s 27 putts were his low of the week but that double-bogey start put him behind the eight-ball. Strokes back: He needs to make up 11 strokes to win the Cup.
Brandt Snedeker	64	8 under	T1	Snedeker made six birdies and it could have been more as he missed chances of 20 feet or less on three of his first four holes. He’s tied for first in fairways hit and greens in regulation. Strokes back: He is actually three strokes to the good in his battle to win the Cup.

BIGGEST MOVERS: Justin Rose continues to make his presence known. He’s tie for first for the second time in three rounds at East Lake this week and has moved up 21 spots to third in the FedExCup. Ryan Moore, who played his way into the top 30 at the BMW Championship, has moved up 19 spots into ninth.

ODDS & ENDS: If the TOUR Championship had ended after the third round, there would have been some interesting scenarios. Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose would have played off for the TOUR Championship title – and if Rose had won, Snedeker and Rory McIlroy would have been involved in a sudden death playoff for the FedExCup title. …

Brandt Snedeker is the first player ranked in the all-important top five to take the lead into the final round of the TOUR Championship since the points system was reworked in 2009. …

Ryan Moore made the second-biggest move in the projected standings on Saturday when he shot a 65. He started the Playoffs ranked 64th and finished in the top 25 of each one, including ties for 10th in the last two. He must win the TOUR Championship – and get considerable help – to win the FedExCup. Not that he’s thinking about the dual victory. “I honestly have no chance to win the FedExCup,” Moore said. “That is my reality. But I do have a chance to win a golf tournament. That is my focus. I haven't won a golf tournament this year. I only have one more chance, one more tournament I'm playing after this, so this is one of my last chances to close out the year the right way.”

ATLANTA -- Friday's first round of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the final event in the FedExCup Playoffs that will determine this year’s FedExCup champion, is in the books. Here’s a look at the key developments and notes concerning the FedExCup:

KEY LINKS: Latest points projections | Shots back | Official standings | Scenarios to win FedExCup

NO. 1 PROJECTION: Rory McIroy has regained the top spot in the FedExCup projections and will win the FedExCup if he wins the TOUR Championship. The Northern Irishman, who is currently tied for seventh, four strokes off the pace, right now needs to finish 12th or better to win the $10 million bonus.

Jim Furyk, who leads by one at 7 under, is currently projected to finish second in the FedExCup.

HOW TOP FIVE FARED: Any of the top five players in points after the reset can win the FedExCup by winning the TOUR Championship. Here’s a look at their first rounds.

Player	Score	Thru 36	Pos.	Quick review
Rory McIlroy	69	3 under	T7	He had a shaky start but finished strong with a 25-footer for eagle at the 15th hole. He only his six fairways but round 13 of his last 18 greens in regulation. Strokes back: He is actually three strokes to the good in his quest to win the Cup.
Tiger Woods	73	1 under	T12	The back nine did Woods in as he made four bogeys and just a lone birdie. He only hit eight fairways and needed 32 putts. Strokes back: He needs to make up four strokes to win the Cup.
Nick Watney	74	9 over	30th	For the second straight day Watney struggled on the front nine, making three bogeys and a double in his first six holes. He rallied and shot even on the back. Strokes back: He needs to make up 14 to win the Cup.
Phil Mickelson	71	Even	T16	Mickelson is still battling a balky putter – he had 30 on Friday and is tied for 25th in the 30-man field with 63 total putts despite being tied for first in GIRs. Strokes back: He needs to make up six strokes to win the Cup.
Brandt Snedeker	70	2 under	T10	Snedeker ranks first in fairways hit with 20 of 28 but he’s only hit 12 of 18 greens each of the first two days. He’s tied for fifth in putting with 56. Strokes back: He needs to make up four strokes to win the Cup.

BIGGEST MOVERS: The top-two players on the leaderboard, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose, made the only double-digit moves in the FedExCup projections. If the tournament had ended after the second round, Furyk would have been the runner-up in the FedExCup -- a jump of 16 spots. Rose, on the other hand, has moved up 17 spots in the projections after starting the week at No. 24.

ODDS AND ENDS: Jim Furyk was the first to prove that the FedExCup could be won by a player entering the TOUR Championship outside of the top five in the points standings, winning both the tournament and the FedExCup in 2010 after starting the week No. 11.  At No. 18 in 2012, he's trying to do it again. ...

Furyk’s round included 3s on his first seven holes Friday, the longest streak in the history of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. He ended the round with a total of 10 3s. By comparison, Greg Owen has the most in a round this season, making 12 during the first round of the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. …

The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win nine of 39 stroke-play events on TOUR this season, most recently Rory McIlroy at the Deutsche Bank Championship. In the 25-year history of the TOUR Championship, the second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the tournament 11 times – most recently Jim Furyk (2010).

ATLANTA – Thursday’s first round of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the final event in the FedExCup Playoffs that will determine this year’s FedExCup champion, is in the books. Here’s a look at the key developments and notes concerning the FedExCup:

KEY LINKS: Latest points projections | Shots back | Official standings | Scenarios to win FedExCup

NO. 1 PROJECTION: Tiger Woods, who shares the first-round lead with Justin Rose, would win the FedExCup should he go on to win the TOUR Championship. Rose projects to third if he wins the tournament.

HOW TOP FIVE FARED: Any of the top five players in points after the reset can win the FedExCup by winning the TOUR Championship. Here’s a look at their first rounds.

Player	Score	Thru 18	Pos.	Quick review
1. Rory McIlroy	69	1 under	T-12	In his first look at East Lake, he opened with a bogey after missing the green with his approach shot but found a way to produce his 9th straight round in 60s Strokes back: Needs to make up 4 strokes to win Cup
2. Tiger Woods	66	4 under	T-1	Six birdies in his round and had good looks at several others. “Played well today,” Woods said. “Very consistent round.” Strokes back: Projected to win Cup
3. Nick Watney	75	5 over	30th	Opened with a bogey and suffered a triple at the par-4 fifth when an errant tee shot resulted in a penalty stroke Strokes back: Needs to make up 10 strokes to win Cup
4. Phil Mickelson	69	1 under	T-12	Hit 3 of 14 fairways but 16 of 18 greens. Ho-hum, just another typical Phil round. Amazing score considering his problems off the tee Strokes back: Needs to make up 4 strokes to win Cup
5. Brandt Snedeker	68	2 under	T-7	Was 3 over through his first six holes after a double at the 6th but fought back, including three birdies in his last four holes Strokes back: Needs to make up 3 strokes to win Cup

BIGGEST MOVERS: Justin Rose, who shot a 66 to share the first-round lead with Tiger Woods, would move up 21 spots (from 24th to 3rd) in FedExCup points. Scott Piercy, the last man in the field, opened with a 67 for a share of third place and would move up 16 spots (from 30th to 14th).

ODDS AND ENDS: For Rose to win the FedExCup, he needs the right scenarios for the first six players currently in FedExCup points to fall correctly. Four of those six scenarios are in place after the first round. The two that aren’t are Tiger Woods (needs to finish in a three-way tie for 5th or worse) and Rory McIlroy (needs to finish 17th or worse). Of course, Rose also must go on to win the TOUR Championship …

In his first start in the TOUR Championship, Lee Westwood had what would be the epitome of a rollercoaster round: 6 birdies, 8 bogeys and 4 pars en route to a 2-over 72 …

Since the FedEx Cup began in 2007, no first-round leader at the TOUR Championship has held on to win.

Special to PGATOUR.COM

In sports, season-ending playoffs are generally structured to provide an extra advantage to the players or teams who have performed best up to that point -- for example, by pairing them with the weakest remaining team or giving them home field advantage. This is, of course, in addition to the inherent advantage you would assume they already have by virtue of being the best player or team up to that point in the season.

It's difficult to say exactly how much of an advantage it is to a pro football team to have a bye in the first round of the playoffs, or to play at home rather than on the road, but we can quantify the advantage the top seeds in the FedExCup have entering this week's TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Going into The TOUR Championship, the points each player has are set, and the points available to be won in the tournament are set, so we know what each player has to do to win the FedExCup. In particular, we know, for example, that each of the top 5 seeds controls his own fate -- if he wins the TOUR Championship, he will win the FedExCup. We also know that every player has some chance to win the Cup. But if any of the top five can win the Cup with a win at East Lake, is there really much advantage to being seeded first instead of second, or second instead of third, etc.?

To answer that, let's first take skill out of the equation. That is, one of the advantages of being the No. 1 seed is that the player who got there is the one who’s playing best right now, so you’d expect him to play well at the TOUR Championship. Instead, let's look at the advantage inherent in the seeding, rather than in skill levels.

So let’s assume every player in the field has an equal chance of winning the tournament, and in fact, that each player’s finish in the event is completely random. Of course, this doesn’t correspond with reality -- as noted earlier, some players have been playing extremely well and thus seem more likely to do well at East Lake, plus some players have track records on the course that would indicate they’re more likely to do well, etc.

But in the spirit of “in any given week, anything can happen,”  and to focus on the inherent value of the seeding, let’s assume that anything truly could happen. We’re also going to make a second simplifying assumption -- specifically, that there are no disqualifications or withdrawals, and there are no ties in the final standings at the TOUR Championship. This is also somewhat unrealistic, but shouldn’t affect the probabilities very much.

With those simplifying assumptions, we ran a Monte Carlo simulation of the event with 5,000 iterations, and looked at which seed won the TOUR Championship and which seed won the FedExCup.

Only the top six seeds have any chance to win the FedExCup without winning the TOUR Championship. The No. 6 seed has about a one percent chance to win the FedExCup without winning the TOUR Championship, the No. 5 seed’s chance is about two percent, then three percent for the No. 4 seed, five percent for the No. 3 seed, seven percent for the No. 2 seed, and 25 percent for the top seed.

So the real advantage to being the top seed going into the TOUR Championship relative to the next four seeds is the strong likelihood that, if none of the top five seeds win the tournament, it’s the No. 1 seed who’s most likely to win the Cup. That’s good news for No. 1 seed Rory McIlroy, who is playing at East Lake for the first time and is set to tee off within the hour with No. 2 Tiger Woods.

Of course, the probability of the tournament winner also winning the FedExCup is 100 percent for each of the top 5 seeds, and it drops relatively slowly from there.

For example, the No. 6 seed has a 96 percent chance to win the Cup with a TOUR Championship victory; the 10th seed could expect to win the Cup 75 percent of the time he won the tournament; and the 20th seed won about 40 percent of the time he won the TOUR Championship in our simulation. Even the 26th seed won the FedExCup more than 20 percent of the time that he won the TOUR Championship.

Several players this year could win the FedExCup by making the TOUR Championship their first victory of the season, including Louis Oosthuizen (No. 6 seed) and Lee Westwood (No. 8), but the No. 30 seed (Scott Piercy) isn’t one of them -- he won the RBC Canadian Open in July.

That said, the road to a FedExCup championship will be a very hard one for the 30th seed in any year, no matter who claims that spot. Of course, it has to start with a victory at the TOUR Championship. But whoever the No. 1 seed was in that year would also have to finish last or second-to-last at East Lake, or else that player would still have more points than the 30th seed. Also, several other players could pass the 30th seed with a good finish. Even with all that, however, the 30th seed managed, in our simulation, to win the FedExCup four times. With 146 TOUR Championship victories in the 5,000 simulated events, that means that the 30th seed could expect to win the FedExCup about three percent of the time, if he wins the TOUR Championship.

The top 30 in FedExCup points are headed to East Lake for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Here’s a look at Rory McIlroy, one of the 30 players who will contend for the FedExCup title.

SCENARIOS TO WIN FEDEXCUP: McIlroy controls his own destiny for the FedExCup:
> If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the FedExCup
> Has a reasonable chance of winning with a top-5 finish
> Can finish as low as 29th and still have a mathematical chance of winning

Click here for scenarios of every player

SEASON IN REVIEW: The high point of McIlroy's season would have to be his eight-stroke triumph at the PGA Championship, which was his second major and returned him to No. 1 in the world. But his performance so far in the Playoffs has been equally impressive as he picked up his third and fourth wins of the season at the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship -- holding off an all-star cast that included the likes of Louis Oosthuizen and Tiger Woods at the first and Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood at the second. Long forgotten in that late season surge were those three missed cuts in four starts after he lost in a playoff at the Wells Fargo Championship that had tongues wagging and pundits questioning McIlroy's desire. -- Helen Ross

PATH TO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Here’s a look at McIlroy's results in the first three events of the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs:
Click here for Playoffs Tracker of every player.

Tournament
Tournament finish	T-24	1st	1st
FEC ranking after event	4th	1st	1st

PREVIOUS FEDEXCUP FINISHES: Here is how McIlroy has finished in previous Playoffs appearances:

	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007
FedExCup finish	---	36th	---	---	---

EAST LAKE HISTORY: This is McIlroy's first start at East Lake.

ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: Fred Albers, on-course correspondent for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, provides a quick look at McIlroy:
The best player in the world right now. Probably the Player of the Year on the PGA TOUR. He creates so much torque in his swing with a complete turn and lag. He may not win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola but has to be the favorite.

WATCH: McIlroy surges to the top at Deutsche Bank

PLAYER PAGE: Click here for more on Rory McIlroy

Now it’s your turn. How do you think McIlroy will fare at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola?

The top 30 in FedExCup points are headed to East Lake for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Here’s a look at Tiger Woods, one of the 30 players who will contend for the FedExCup title.

SCENARIOS TO WIN FEDEXCUP: Woods controls his own destiny for the FedExCup:
> If he wins the TOUR Championship he wins the FedExCup
> Has a reasonable chance of winning with a top-3 finish
> Can finish as low as a 2-way tie for 6th and still have a mathematical chance of winning

Click here for scenarios of every player

SEASON IN REVIEW: The two-time FedExCup champion ended his 30-month victory drought in a big way with three wins during the PGA TOUR's Regular Season. He didn't get the major he covets, but he did tie Jack Nicklaus in career wins when he won the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and moved ahead with 74 at AT&T National. Interestingly, though, Woods struggled on the weekends overall ranking 53rd in third-round scoring average and 23rd in the final round after ranking second in scoring before the cut. -- Helen Ross

PATH TO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Here’s a look at Woods' results in the first three events of the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs:
Click here for Playoffs Tracker of every player.

Tournament
Tournament finish	T-38	3rd	T-4
FEC ranking after event	3rd	3rd	2nd

PREVIOUS FEDEXCUP FINISHES: Here is how Woods has finished in previous Playoffs appearances:

	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007
FedExCup finish	---	42nd	1st	70th	1st

EAST LAKE HISTORY: This is Woods' 13th start in the TOUR Championship, but first since 2009. He's finished first or second six times -- winning in 2007 and 1999. He's shot in the 60s in 31 of his 48 rounds at East Lake.

ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: Fred Albers, on-course correspondent for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, provides a quick look at Woods:
Playing as well as I have seen him play over the last three years. His body language has dramatically improved. I can envision him winning the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and FedExCup, leading into a multi-major year for 2013.

WATCH: Tiger's victory at the AT&T National

PLAYER PAGE: Click here for more on Tiger Woods

Now it’s your turn. How do you think Woods will fare at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola?